Malleable Implications
by Pastoris
Summary: From obsolete fortress to capital city, this is the story of Tokyo-3 after third-impact. More importantly, this is the story of the young men and women who shaped its future, and by extension, shaped that of mankind. Please RR!
1. Legend

A/N: I can't really think of much to say. Right then, as to the pairings; there will be NO au x canon characters. I'm NOT a skilled enough writer to pull that off. I'd love to have a pre-reader. Just to put that out there. Also, in the near future, this story will probably have to be upgraded to a rating of: M. Oh and please, review this! I'd like to know how to improve... Even if you don't read the whole thing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1  
Legend

**January, 1, 2016  
****Tokyo-3, Ninomiya area  
****Third impact: 0 hour**

There is a point in every man's life; when he becomes so sickened with the cards that fate has dealt him, that he shreds all self-pity from his self... and snaps.

"_How disgusting_," said the nubile girl, who was clad the legendary, red, skintight suit; plus a few bandages, and minus an eye.

With the help of one Asuka Langley Soryu, Shinji Ikari had reached that point.

Asuka watched, as Shinji sputtered and shook with an emotion she had never seen from him first-hand: rage. Shinji got up and staggered toward the sea, wading into the LCL. Her head lolled to the side, watching him, and the side of her face buried itself in sand. Her mouth opened in a slack, drunken manner. If she were a little more conscious, she might have sat up in surprise. But she wasn't. At first, when she had seen her mother, she thought that she had gone to heaven. But then she realized that it had just been a dream... right around the time she realized that she was about to be choked to death by Shinji Ikari.

No heaven for you, Second Child; just hallucinations.

The disappointment felt... gross.

"Ayanami!" screamed Shinji. He staggered back into the orange sea that he had just come out of. "Mother!" he cried. "Kaworu!" He fell down. "_Somebody_..."

For a few moments he just lay there, face down in the sea. Unlike seawater, the waves that washed over him were warm and thick. Then, as if jolted by electricity, he jumped up again. "I know you're out there!"

He waded further into the sea, whipping his arms from side to side like a madman, and splashing LCL all around him. He normally crying face was screwed up with anger.

"Don't you hide from me- DON'T YOU FUCKING HIDE FROM ME!!" he roared, stopping when the LCL reached his midriff. The fluid lapped against his body. It still felt warm. He continued to yell at the horizon.

"This... This isn't what I wanted! Bring them all back!"

He felt her presence before he heard her.

"They must regain their own lost form, by imagining themselves within their own heart," said a softer voice from his right. Rei Ayanami or at least a ghostly visage of her turned to Shinji and gazed sadly at him. She floated a little above the sea's surface. Her school dress and blue hair fluttered in a nonexistent wind. Rei, the only girl to show she loved him, looked out of the apparition's eyes at the horizon. However, the angel of humanity, Lilith, spoke.

Shinji slowly turned his head toward her. "No, Rei. Bring them back, all of them. I rejected instrumentality so that the human race could move forward. I told you that. In fact, you helped me realize that..." It was strange, the one time he spoke to her using her first name, was the one time he could not have her.

"Mother said that I was alive, and therefore had the chance to be happy." He walked forward, letting his hands trail in the LCL. "Give them that chance too."

"They will have the chance, if they want it."

"You mean, if they _earn _it" said Shinji, slowly balling his hands into fists. The LCL seeped sticky through his fingers, but not staining them, like blood would have.

Asuka slowly pulled herself up. Her bandaged arm gave a slight twitch. It hurt like hell, but she could feel that it was otherwise back to normal. Shinji had quieted down now, and seemed to be having a conversation all to himself. Her eye still ached slightly. Groaning, she slowly began to limp toward the calm sea. When she approached the water, however, she could not bring herself to step in. So she simply waited for Shinji's return.

Rei managed to lay a comforting hand on Shinji's shoulder, but Lilith continued to speak. If Shinji felt the gesture that was so unlike the girl, he made no sign of it.

"Only through struggle, will my children truly appreciate what you have earned for them."

Shinji gave a grim smile. He lowered his head, and closed his eyes before he spoke again.

"I think we'll all be struggling soon enough."

"Ikari-kun, there is a chance that mankind will all suffer grave consequences for this." Rei said.

"And there's a chance that people will see what they have to come back to, and choose to stay in this... pitiful excuse for happiness. I can't allow that. Not after all we've done." He turned his head to the pale girl behind him again. "Not after what you did for us."

"Is this what you want, Shinji?" said Rei, her expression changing to one of sadness. Again, the irony of using first names, _now_ of all times, was painfully apparent.

"It's what _they _need, Rei."

"Very well, Shinji. I shall bring them back. Slowly but surely, this sea will disappear."

In the distance, it seemed that the gigantic, white pieces of Lilith were dissolving into more LCL. Back toward the city, Shinji was beginning to hear the car crashes and howling pets that inevitably followed the rapture of human beings from the world.

"...And you? Will I see Rei Ayanami again? The real Rei Ayanami?"

The pale, semitransparent girl lowered her eyes. In her signature monotone, slightly husky, whisper of a voice she answered him.

"My purpose has been fulfilled, Shinji. I have no reason to exist... Therefore, I will remain until all have returned. When this sea ceases to exist, I shall as well."

Shinji hadn't had the time to properly mourn Rei's death; the sacrifice of a fourteen year old girl to save his life, and the lives of everyone around him. He hadn't even the chance to find out her birthday, or call her by her first name... For all he knew, she might actually be fifteen, and he might have been the object of her heart.

And he would have been right.

But Shinji Ikari didn't know. So he said nothing. He merely stood there, and swayed ever so slightly for a while. An infinitesimally small, sad smile played across his lips. He was too tired, too numb to feel anymore sadness at this freshest of losses, and so he simply walked back to shore, leaving the girl to fade away in the distance without even so much as a good-bye. He barely noticed Asuka waiting for him.

From that day, he regretted not asking the girl what would become of her. From that day, he would be cursed.

Attnd in the distance, the cries of animals were joined by that of their human counterparts...

**July, 13, 2016  
****Old Berlin, Germany  
****Lorenz Schwerindustrien corporate HQ  
****1800 hours**

"Kyrie eleison"

He pushed the visor closer to his face, much in the same way Ikari had perpetually fiddled with his sunglasses. He hadn't needed the visor for the seven months that he had been back. He could see the nine men in sitting at the table around him almost perfectly without them.

_Almost_.

And "_almost_" wasn't good enough. "_Almost_" had never been good enough for Keel Lorenz. "_Almost_" was the reason he was sitting at this table. "_Almost_" was the reason two of the twelve seats at the table sat empty, and would remain so. He slowly looked around, at the faces of the men staring at him. The worry, no, the fear was etched into their old faces. It was a fear, not of retribution, but of the lack of purpose that a man feels when his life's work has undeniably fallen to pieces around him.

"It's been a long time since we've met like this."

"Indeed Keel, indeed. I was beginning to forget what you looked like."

"Impressed?"

"No."

The other men laughed uneasily. The atmosphere was still grim.

"We have failed, Keel. Humanity has failed."

And so Keel Lorenz starts all over again.

The man at the head of the table loosens his collar, for it is stifling. He leans forward in his chair. No, he stands up, he begins to pace around the room. He needs space, and the table for some reason is oppressive to him.

"No... not failure..." He shakes his head. "This was a culling of the weak."

To _almost_ have achieved a goal is not an option.

"Seventy years ago... This organization was formed by a few old men, sitting in office of an American college, and talking about what the world could have done right. And do you know what their conclusion was?"

As he paces, he brings his hand up, and makes it into a fist. "They realized that without _absolute_ cooperation, _absolute_ focus, and _absolute_ unison... Mankind will never reach the next step in its existence. Mankind will never achieve lasting _greatness_."

He stops pacing. "The definition of "absolute" means no exceptions. And, my friends, there were exceptions. NERV's ineptness... the angels... Tabris... Gendo Ikari... These exceptions destroyed something we had worked towards for twenty years."

Instead of sitting, he leans his with his hands onto the table. My friends... these exceptions are gone. They have been culled. There is nothing, my friends... nothing that can stand in the way of progress... no, of evolution, any longer! Lilith can be reborn, as can Adam!"

He smiles. "My friends, the fruit of the trees of knowledge and life lay unguarded! And this time... this time none will stand in our path towards them... for there is no one who knows how to stand anymore. And when we have saved them, none will need to know how to stand ever again..."

And so, gears of evolution began once again to turn. It was impossible to find the real culprits behind the third impact. More so, it was impossible to blame them.

Under stress, it is a natural instinct to grab on to something around you. And by grabbing on to other human beings, the world came together. In a few short months, mankind had worked with fervor to rebuild and reclaim what they had lost for fifteen years. Cities that had lain forgotten for more than a decade were deluged from the sea, and rebuilt. Those who were not among the first to return from the mental paradise that Lilith had created were brought back by determined lovers, brothers, friends, and family. They would blink their eyes, kick and scream, and eventually come to terms with the fact that they were back whether they liked it or not.

And, for the most part, they liked it. The new wave of cooperation meant that they came back to a home that was immensely better than the one that they had left behind. There always seemed to be more than enough food, more than enough homes, more than enough everything. However, one thing remained. Even though it was something that everyone had come to terms with since second impact, it was noticed that only thing that was lacking was people. So, in the spirit of rebuilding and replenishing, mankind attacked that problem with the greatest fervor of all.

Still, as per human nature, man still wanted retribution. And it was given to them by a few old men who pointed their gnarled fingers at a certain paramilitary organization based out of a lone city on a small island nation...

**November, 5, 2017  
****Katsuragi Residence  
****0600 hours**

Red eyes, blue hair and porcelain skin... A year ago, Shinji Ikari had found the girl in the picture attractive. Now, as he gazed at the old ID card he usually kept hidden under his bed, the face looking back at him seemed younger than he had remembered it. It was still beautiful, no doubts there, but it looked so... innocent; especially to the boy lying in bed, whose eyes were far older than they deserved to be. Guilt surfaced whenever he looked at her.

Shinji never brought up Rei with anyone else, especially Asuka. That was because while Rei hadn't appeared to most people, she was still associated with the third-impact. Since Shinji had found her ID card in her old looted and ransacked apartment, he had often thought about her. Now that he was older, it amazed him that the girl had been so strong, even though he had been right beside her, suffering the entire time as well.

Shinji Ikari sighed, and slid the card back deep under his mattress. He didn't know why he brought it out anymore. But, it usually came out on an early, sunny, Japanese summer morning following a restless night that had been filled with bad memories. What he did know, however, was that his psychologist had told him that it was unhealthy to dwell on the past, especially his past. Like so many others, Rei Ayanami was gone, and Shinji needed to accept that, and move on.

To Shinji's credit, he had tried, really. He had gone back to school; he had braved the taunting, the threats, the whispering, and the rumors; many of which had circulated not among the students, but among the teachers too. He had found his cello again, and used the art to momentarily escape from the problems of the world, many of which were caused by him. At Asuka's insistence he had forgone any medication, save some sleep aids, but he still attended the occasional meeting with a NERV assigned psychologist. He even helped some of his classmates cope with their own return from a world of constant bliss. If he didn't make friends, at least he kept his old ones.

But, like all of them, he had his relapses. Those lonely nights when he would shut himself in his room and sob, so no one could hear him. Or, when it was really too much, he would leave the apartment, and go on long walks to nowhere, lost in the world of Mozart and Johann Pachelbel on his MP3 player. With Asuka's help, or rather, nagging, he had managed to throw out his old SDAT. The MP3 was a guilty pleasure.

Shinji rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. He knew it would probably be a futile effort, but today was _Sunday,_aka, Shinji's day. The boy might work himself to the bone during week, getting up before the rest of the apartment, cooking and cleaning, but on Sundays, Man-maid Shinji took a break. He rustled back and forth, trying to find a comfortable spot, and still keep the surface of the blanket covering him smooth, undisturbed, and neat. It was already 7:00. Asuka would be up soon, to wake Shinji up in her own, lovable way...

According to one Ryoji Kaji,_ luck_ was the one quality that separated Shinji from the rest of the pack. Luck, that despite any of his many flaws, always seemed to come out and help Shinji in the end. Sixteen-year-old Shinji Ikari isn't the brightest kid in his class, and by far not the most popular. He lives in the same apartment as his surrogate mother, and his ex-girlfriend. He's secretly obsessed with a girl who's been dead for a year, and if it weren't for the constant 24-hour surveillance that he was under, he might be lynched by now. And by the end of this day, he will have found himself once more the instrument of forces that wish to change the world "for the better".

Lucky him.

**November, 5, 2017  
****Sea of Japan, ****De-Militarized Zone Airspace  
****11****00 hrs**

The Blood Mary tasted like spicy, iced tomato soup as a large, muscular man took a drink of the red concoction that placed on the table to his left. To his right, a panorama of clouds and ocean passed below him in the window of the airplane. At first the drink had seemed like a good choice, however once his thirsts had been satiated, the man began to find it revolting. Yet, he still drank, determined to finish the crap that the attendant had brought him, so as to suffer and forever ingrain in his mind what a poor choice he had made, and so he'd never make the same mistake again.

He was weird like that.

In front of him, on another table that sprang out from the back of the leather-clad clone of his own seat was a dark-brown manila folder, an extremely large folder. On its front, an ominous "**TOP-SECRET, For Your Eyes Only**" was printed in large, red letters. An unwanted wave of nostalgia passed over him as he remembered the first time he had seen something like this...

The man took another sip of the beverage and grimaced. Accept for the attendant, the two pilots, and a guard, he was alone in the cabin. The flight was meant for him and him alone.

If one had had the power to read minds, one would not find fear in the man, nor would they find excitement. Feelings like that had been purged from his mind an eternally long year ago. They would only find a burning curiosity, and a desire for action. And something... violent. Something... suppressed.

He opened the folder.

TOP SECRET

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

United Nations Supreme Advisory Council: NERV Operations Division

"Project E"

A Psychological Analysis of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth children; aka the Evangelion Pilots.

Warning: viewing of the contents of this report requires a Level Five Security Clearance and permission of the United Nations Supreme Advisory Council. Use the provided means to dispose of it once you are finished with your review. You are authorized to exercise leathal force in the protections of its contents.

The following is a clandestine report on the psychological aspects of all the former children of the now terminated project E, as compiled by the SEELE council of instrumental affairs: NERV Operations and affairs Division.

Please note: At the time of this report's compilation, both "First Child" Rei Ayanami, and "Fifth Child" Kawrou Nagisa (aka Tabris, the 17th angel) were declared missing in action and deceased, respectively. "Deceased" however, is a term to be used lightly, and the nature of which will further explained later in this report.

The man cocked his head and frowned._Tabris? Isn't it spelled Tabrias? Tav. Yah. "Good of God." I never knew he spelt it like that... _For some reason that was unfathomable to him, he felt a twinge of regret as he gazed at the picture that accompanied the name_. _He continued reading on.

Please also note: At the time of this reports completion, many former "dead" were returning from the Sea of LCL, therefore it is reasonable to suspect that both the subjects might be alive and at large. This does not, however, disrepute the validity of this report, which was collected by interviews both pre- and post- third-impact, through careful observation and surveillance, and in the case of Tabris; a post-mortem examination.

This is also based on much of the information recovered from the raid on the home of NERV Commander Gendo Ikari, especially from Ikari's personal report on all aspects of project E. However, under review of the SEELE high committee, some of the content of the book was proven false. It is logical to assume that the grand council's judgment on the matter is fact and that Ikari was wrong, or rather extremely biased (see '_On the First Child, Rei Ayanami'_ below) on some matters.

He eagerly read on.

xxx

'_So by my calculations, the two that are still around should be at the least sixteen years old. Hopefully that shouldn't be too much of a gap to cross. But then again, I'm not very good with kids...'_

"Sir, we are now over Tokyo-3 airspace," said one of the UN pilots

The young man looked out the window. Sure enough, a gleaming city surrounded by mountains was taking up the majority of the view. He could see numerous amounts of cranes and other construction machines hard at work. Still, the city already looked magnificent. If it was so recently built, the city schematics would be fresh and familiar in a potential defender's mind.

Under the Declaration of Returning, Tokyo-3, like many other costal cities had involuntarily become United Nations territories. This was actually a temporary setup though; it was only supposed to last for the duration of the recovery from third-impact, and the reuniting of souls with their bodies. Now that the returning was, by and far, mostly over, almost all of the cities were returned to their sovereign nations. Those that weren't only had sections of the city placed under the UN's care. And those cities didn't complain. The UN still wielded a lot of power and now, in a more prosperous world, people were beginning to notice. So, when the UN security counsel had decided to place Tokyo-3 under "additional supervision" some eyebrows were raised. In short, those in the world with foresight set their eyes very carefully on the city...

"Two years. It's unbelievable, it took them, what... all of _two_ years to rebuild all of this?" He said to the guard.

"Yes sir. I believe that the Geofront is already fully operational as well. You'd be surprised with what a few UN grants can do. It's good to be on top. "

The man smirked. "I thought this place was going to sealed of for the next twenty some years."

The guard looked out of the window as well. "It has... to the press. I don't think _anyone's_ really heard anything real about this place since third-impact. They've just been shipping folks in, and you never hear from them again..."

"They're held here against their will?"

The guard shook his head. "Nah, it's more like they don't want to leave. And it's not just Japanese folks this time. They're getting people from around the world. I'd assume they sign fat, lucrative contracts and bring their entire families like last time. If I didn't know better, I might have moved _my _family over. If you can handle the weird looks whenever you go on a vacation, I don't see what would drive someone away. I mean, just look at the place. It's freakin magnificent!"

"But it looks like they still haven't gotten rid of all of the debris." He said, looking at the cross-like figures in the sea.

The sea around them had an almost reddish hue that easily reminded one of blood. It was unclear though, whether the color was coming from the streams the trickled from their bodies, or if the water itself was tainted.

The guard gave a small shiver. "I'd guess that they're scared to take them down."

"Why? They're just machines, correct?"

The guard snorted. "If you say so... Wait, you were there, weren't you? When we had to take down the big red one? More of a demon born from hell than a machine, I say." He had earned his right to disagree. Both men had fought together countless times, and had known each other since before either one had any significant rank.

The pilot leaned into the small cabin. "Sir, we've just been hailed. The Japanese want us to land in a different spot."

"Why?" asked his superior

"The, uh, airport isn't ready, I guess?"

The seated man took a deep breath. "I don't like this."

He wanted to avoid conflict at all costs. Not only was he completely outnumbered in enemy territory, this was also a very touchy and politically charged situation. Most of the world was watching, and still had mixed feelings about the city, and everything that happened there. The UN stood to gain or lose a lot depending on how this was handled.

"Commander, they aren't going to let us land otherwise."

The commander considered his glass of red stuff, and then drained it in one gulp. "We're in there territory now. Do what they ask." He turned to his guard. "Check your ammo, and your ordinance."

**November, 5, 2017  
****Katsuragi Residence  
****1100 hours**

Shinji could feel her presence in the room. It was like a hurricane. He opened his eyes, and found himself staring into a pair of breasts that belonged to one Asuka Langley Soryu, who had decided that pouncing upon the boys sleeping form would be fun.

"MORNING BAKA!" yelled Asuka, solely to give Shinji the rudest awakening possible. She bounced on his quivering frame a few more times for extra effect.

Morning wood, my name is Shinji Ikari.

"Uuugggghh... Asuka? Is it too much to ask for just one morning of peace?"

"Morning? It's freaking eleven, stooge. You missed breakfast."

"And I would have slept through lunch too..."

"God, when did you get so lazy?"

"God's not lazy, Asuka, he just doesn't give a damn. I, on the other hand, am."

"And I, on the other hand, don't care." said Asuka, as she slapped Shinji's head from side to side like a cat with a ball of yarn, not holding back anything. "Get up."

A bouncing, jiggling Asuka that just happened to be straddling Shinji was not looking good for the up-strung teenage boy.

"Ok Asuka, time to get off." Said Shinji, looking away.

"I can tell, pervert." Said Asuka, smirking.

_Still got it._

Shinji turned red. Asuka still hadn't gotten off. In fact, she had come in closer, and was lifting the covers. She decided it was time to have some fun.

"Uh-uh. N-No. It's _over_, remember? We agreed not to do this kind of stuff to each other." said Shinji, shaking his head franticly as he tried to struggle out from under Asuka.

"Yeah, but a certain part of you doesn't seem to want to honor that agreement" said Asuka seductively. She had now made it under Shinji's covers, and was tracing circles on his chest. "In fact, he seems pretty excited _not_ to honor that agreement."

"Asuka please..." Shinji groaned.

"Please what?" she said, as she rubbed her leg up against his very aroused crotch. "Please fulfill the fantasies I've been having about you for the past- what it's now, a year?"

Shinji could smell the intoxicating strawberry scented shampoo that he had at one time been in love with.

"It doesn't matter," said Shinji with newfound resolve, "the point is, it's over, and you have to stop mess-"

Shinji didn't get to finish his sentence as Asuka shoved her tongue into his mouth. It was like liquid Jolly-Rancher. She expertly explored, or rather re-conquered, his mouth. Shinji gasped for breath when she rose up. Both of them had gained experience from the other long ago.

"Okay. You wanna do this? You wanna play this game with me? Fine. Let's do this. Let's play this game." muttered Shinji as he aggressively leaned over her, and went in for another kiss.

SLAP!

Asuka burst into laughter has she looked at Shinji rub the red mark on his cheek.

"Ow! Too hard! That really hurt!"

"You're right baka. It _is_ over." She said, still giggling. She knew it was over; in fact, they had already started seeing other people. Well, at least she had. Shinji was still a bundle of nerves around women. Asuka and Misato were the only exceptions.

"T-That was my plan all along Asuka! I just wanted to get you off! It just... backfired sort of."

She got up at walked toward the bedroom door. Before she left, she tilted her head and smiled coyly.

"Sure it did, Baka" she said, rolling her eyes.

Shinji let his head drop back to the pillow with a soft thud.

"Damnit, Asuka..." he muttered. The epic romance between him and Asuka had grown, flourished, and died. It wasn't really that much of a romance, they had just needed each other, and gotten _incredibly _close and well... the rest was history. Really. It was. Once they had come to terms with everything that had transpired they began to see that they just weren't meant to be. Something was holding Shinji back. There weren't any blockbuster fights between the two; the relationship just ceased to be.

In fact, Shinji wasn't even sure _when_ it had ended, only that it had indisputably done so. Actually, the whole affair still puzzled the young man when he thought about it.

_Whatever. _

XXX

An isolated courtyard surrounded by high buildings, ripe for a classic, text-book ambush; no one was around this newly built area to hear anything that might transpire.

_I really don't like this._

The slightly dark-skinned man stepped down the extended metal stairs of the jet-craft that had descended from the sky. It was a bright, sunny, altogether glorious day. Although his sun-glasses clad eyes were fixed straight ahead on the dark, almost purple-haired woman in front of him, he was already analyzing everything around him.

Many of the buildings were not old, but hastily built. They had flaws that produced cracks, and bad lighting for an outsider looking in. Also, each one of the buildings seemed to not have been inhabited yet. A sniper would have no problem setting up. Risk of hitting a friendly would be his only shelter. He'd have to get close to someone.

_I really need to stop being so paranoid._

There was no visible sewage system; the city was too new and technologically advanced for that. Therefore, fleeing underground in case of an attack was out of the question. The alleyways leading out of the courtyard were straightforward. Sheer inertia would be more than enough to escape on that route; if events lead to that, of course.

Misato considered the man walking toward her.

True attraction can never be built on looks alone, and always require some sort of "aura" to be truly recognized. The man in front of Misato Katsuragi was everything woman looked for in the male species; tall, rugged, and built. He reminded her so much of a certain double agent...

But, she could never be attracted to this man. Or, probably, any other man for that matter.

He walked toward her and bowed, stopping not a level height, but a bit higher, establishing dominance from the beginning. Misato, taken aback that a foreigner would do this so naturally, bowed quickly back. The second she had straightened up, the man had grasped her hand and had begun to shake it.

"Colonel Misato Katsuragi. You're not... what I was expecting." said the man in slightly accented Japanese, though from where, Misato could not tell. He had a stereotypical, low, tough-guy voice. It was smooth, and slightly slurred. It was the voice of a man who was hardly surprised, and didn't like to be. He looked around, scanning the three section-two agents that had come with her.

Immediately, they were sized up. All of them were without a doubt ex-military. Only surprise would give an aggressor the upper-hand. Like the friendly-risk philosophy, one would have to get literally in close to one of their allies to have some means of protection.

"And, what exactly were you expecting?" asked Misato

"You don't match what I've heard about you... you look a lot more friendly." He replied, still cordially ice-cold.

"Ushio? Your last name is Ushio?" asked Misato, reading his ID badge. Other than the badge, the man was clad in the stereotypical attire of a soldier, urban camouflaged jacket, fatigues, and cap, with accompanying black boots.

"It is to you, Colonel," said Ushio, as he waited for her to take him toward the car. His man followed stood behind.

"Strange, Mr. Ushio, you don't look Japanese."

He shrugged without having the courtesy to provide a shrug-worthy face.

Ushio was beginning to remind Misato of yet another man in her life. But this time, of a distant, colder man. A man she was glad was dead. Not that she really had much a grasp on the concept of death any longer. Not since she had woken up...

"Where is the sub-commander?" he asked sternly, still scanning the surroundings.

"Commander Fuyutsuki... was not able to come. He was, uh, feeling under the weather?" ended Misato in a question.

The truth was that she had no idea _why _he decided not to meet the "military advisor" from the UN. All she knew was that he told her to be his representative, and that he had handpicked all three of the section-two agents that accompanied her. She also noticed that several others had come along as well.

Bullshit. Misato knew exactly what was about to go down. She didn't have, or want any part in it, but she still knew.

"... No._ Sub_-Commander Fuyutsuki, I'm in charge now." he corrected, nervously. None of the agents had moved. In fact, they were _blocking_ the car doors.

"Since when?"

"Since one minute ago. Wait- Why is this a surprise to you? We _told_ him how this was going to work out." He said, obviously more concerned.

Misato just gave him a confused look. But this time she wasn't faking. Fuyutsuki had said nothing of this. She shook her head.

"I wasn't told anything about that."

Ushio's scrutinizing head stopped moving around.

"What?" He looked down into her face. Despite the sunglasses, she could feel his eyes boring into her own.

"I- I wasn't told about that." said Misato.

Then he saw it, the detail he was looking for.

There were three more cars at the end of each alleyway, hidden from a birds-eye view, but visible when one looked literally straight at them. Each was parked in such a way that made passing through those alleyways impossible. In short, they were trapped. To act now, however would be considered an act of aggression. To trip the trap was the only choice for escape.

U balled his hand in a fist, and held it up, signaling for his guard to stop in his tracks. He turned to him, and gave a sharp order in a language the Misato did not understand. The soldier nodded, and spoke into his collar. As both men turned back to the transport, the signature sound of pistol safeties being turned off echoed throughout the courtyard. At that sound, Ushio spun around again, pistol out, and pointing it at Misato's forehead.

"Step away from the colonel."

Misato turned around. All three of the section-two agents behind her were holding their pistols up, level at Ushio's head. His guard raised his own assault rifle at the closest of the three agents. Misato slowly took her H&K USP out as well, following the lead of the agents. It was a classic standoff.

"Put your gun away, Katsuragi. You have no idea what's going on here." Ushio said coldly.

Misato's hand faltered a bit. The tall man began walking toward her, gun still raised. For some reason, she became extremely aware of the sound of cicadas in the surroundings.

"It's a second insurrection... I'm presuming that Kozo Fuyutsuki has decided not to comply with our order for a handover."

"Commander Fuyutsuki? But why? He was there the last time you people..." began Misato.

"NERV seems to have gained a few things worthy of keeping secret... The UN made a mistake in letting the JSSDF handle you people. And I assume that you've been completely left out of the loop on this matter as well?" said Ushio. He was back within contact distance of Misato. By this time, she had lowered her gun. "I'd assume that the Geofront still has a monopoly on much of the information related to the angels? Think about it, Katsuragi... How hard do you think it would be to acquire means of reproducing powers of that scale?"

_One threat down_. The agents in the back alleys hadn't moved from their positions. Ushio was wildly hypothesizing, but he could tell that the agents were as interested in this as Misato was. If he could distract them long enough...

Misato watched the entire event as though she were out of her own body. NERV was going to defy the world once more. And NERV would be crushed by the entire world once more. Any fool could see that. For the past two years, the colonel had watched the organization mysteriously rise from the ashes, and exist with no real purpose at all.

And here she was, still confused as to why she was even _around_ to see these events unfold.

But still, to imagine that NERV still held that kind of power... It could easily be true though. Misato was aware that NERV had extensive information on all aspects of all the angels, even entire genetic codes. It sounded like something out of a bad sci-fi movie, but NERV really did have the power to do terrible things to the world... The UN must have realized this.

She was only halfway correct.

Misato loved NERV. She had loved all that it had originally stood for, was supposed to still stand for. She had loved the people that had worked with; Makoto, Maya, Shigeru... even Ritsuko. The children. If NERV carried out with what it was about to do...again, it would be destroyed... again. And this time there would be no coming back.

And that is why she did nothing at all. Nothing, when Ushio grabbed the gun from her, and used both pistols and killed the approaching agent. Nothing, when he pushed her roughly aside as the return fire from the two other agents ripped his left shoulder apart. And nothing, when Ushio's guard flanked the two agents, massacring them in a hail of bullets.

Section-two agents began to pour in from all the alleyways leading to the courtyard. Ushio turned to the woman on the ground.

"Katsuragi, what the hell are you doing? Take cover!"

Misato dove behind the car of the three dead agents and was followed by her new ally, who seemed to be completely un-effected by the mess that was his shoulder. Both had narrowly avoided an oncoming swarm of bullets, which peppered the aircraft behind them, leaving a spray of blood on the cockpit window in place of the two pilots.

Ushio's guard was not so lucky though. A dull thud a body literally ripped to shreds lying next to Misato told them all they needed to know.

U handed the H&K back to Misato, reaching for the now ownerless assault-rifle and ammo. Leaning around the side of the car, he squeezed off a few rounds, turning the agent-driven hunt into yet another standoff.

The non-military attendant walked out of the aircraft, hands up in surrender. She was gunned down instantly.

Misato cautiously raised the gun toward Ushio's head. Panting, a sweat-drenched Ushio turned and looked at the woman. His upper-left lip curled into a grimace.

"Gonna shoot me now, Katsuragi? I killed your buddies... just pull the trigger."

Misato held her gun up. "I should."

"But you're not," Ushio panted. "You're not because you're smart. Because you know that I'm the only thing standing between this city, the people you love who live in this city... and a nuclear holocaust."

Ushio gave a dry laugh, and leaned over the side of the bullet-ridden car, pumping of another round of shots at the assailants. "You people are on your last chance, you know. Last time we used some N2s and men; this time we won't mess around, we will drop so much _nuclear_ heat on this city... that nothing will be able to survive here for a thousand years."

The window above Misato exploded, lacerating her arm. Due to the high-stress situation, however, she didn't notice.

"That's not the way you sweet-talk an adversary." She said, still holding the gun up to Ushio.

"I'm not trying to sweet-talk you, colonel. I'm telling you the truth. Listen, I don't want this city gone as much as the next guy. That's a lot of wasted technology and, more importantly, a lot of wasted lives. But those are the cold-hard facts colonel. Either you let them in my way, or they force their way in. Now what's it going to be?"

"The lesser of two evils..."

"That's all a matter of perspective, Katsuragi. I'm giving you a choice here. Where does your loyalty lie? With what's left of NERV, or with the people you love?"

He was right. She would bide her time, and watch to see how this would all turn out. The part of Misato that was a soldier would have screamed at her for turning sides, but there wasn't any side to turn against. She didn't owe Fuyutsuki's NERV a thing. Whatever she did owe, she owed to the kids. As long as the kids were safe, she didn't really care who was in control. Not anymore. And right now, the wind seemed to be blowing in the UN's favor.

The scent of personal combat awakened a long dead feeling in Misato. Something she hadn't felt since even before the Angel war: the _thrill_ of a fight.

Misato smirked. "You used up a lot of my bullets."

"Don't miss then," said Ushio, also smirking. He reloaded.

_Good. She's mine..._

"Three alleyways, two forces; the bigger of the two groups has control over the two connected left ones," growled Ushio.

"Overwhelm the right, then flank the left?" asked Misato

"You'll take fire from both sides, switch me guns."

"No, I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

Misato responded by throwing herself from behind the pockmarked car and immediately dispatching two of the three-man group that was guarding the right alleyway.

"What the hell!?" screamed the last of the right side agents as Misato put a bullet cleanly into his sunglasses.

On the other side, the commander, who was steadily losing his ability to move his left arm, strong-armed the assault rifle with his good right one and hurtled out from behind the car, killing the three aiming for Misato before having to duck behind a corner.

Misato pushed up next to the wall beside him. The man next to her stoically nodded, acknowledging her performance. She nodded back.

"Leave one alive. I want to confirm my suspicions."

Misato nodded, again.

Without prior planning, they both swung around the edge of the building, their combined fire and the surprise of the colonel's betrayal more than enough to overwhelm the remaining agents. Ushio charged up to the last one. As the agent pulled the trigger, he pirouetted to one side with surprising agility and slammed his dead left hand against the base of the agent's skull.

It was truly awesome to see this beast of a man drop his rifle, grab the stunned and fully grown agent by the throat and lift him, one-handed, into the air only to slam him on flat on his back again like a ragdoll. There was a sickening crack, and the floored agent twitched a little. Then surreal silence entered the courtyard once more, and wafted around the dead bodies.

"Aww damn. Overkill. Now he's useless." ,said Ushio, kicking the body.

He turned toward the car; a classic model, probably combat ready. It stuck out though, as most cars on the street were hybrids. Also, any potential pursuers would most likely recognize a vehicle in their fleet. Still, there weren't any other choices. Unlike the others, this sedan didn't have any bullet-holes in it.

"Start it." He commanded. Which, Misato did.

The commander threw the unconscious agent into the back seat, the slid over the hood into the passenger side. His bloody arm was completely ruining the spotless upholstery.

As the motor purred to life, Ushio he began to clean his wound. Growling, he pulled out whatever bullets and bits of cloth where still inside. He turned to Misato.

"So, what do you think we do now?"

Misato arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, I know there's no way we're going to get anywhere close to NERV."

"Do you know a safe location where I can fix this shoulder, and contact some people? The Geofront has already been alerted to our presence... We need help."

"Yeah, I know a place. It's tactically difficult to defend, so we'll have to be quick."

"How so?"

"There's...um, a... great risk for collateral."

"What, your place?" said the commander through gritted teeth. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his shoulder was beginning to pain.

Misato sighed. She didn't want to do this, but there wasn't much else choice. Most likely, a division was headed there right now. Her betrayal was not without reason. She needed to protect that reason.

XXX

Shinji Ikari shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, and chewed it thoughtfully. He had to hand it over to the red-head sitting across from him; the sandwich was a good one. Asuka Langley Soryu might have been hopeless with Japanese (and for that matter, all Asian cuisine), but sometimes, very rarely; she could pull off a masterpiece of a more western meal.

As such, Shinji took another sandwich of the platter. He was a growing boy with a growing boy's appetite, and knowing it, Asuka prepared accordingly. Both the women in the household had long since become used to the young man's insatiable appetite. Both also noticed (in some jealousy) that the amount of food he ate only seemed to benefit his figure, rather than ruin it.

Even though Asuka was proud that Shinji was visibly enjoying her meal, she couldn't resist a gibe at him.

"Feeling a little piggish there, Baka?" she said, using what had long since become more of a pet name than an insult for him.

Shinji paused with a piece of sandwich in his mouth. He gulped it down like a seagull would to a herring.

"Sorry. You make good sandwiches." He grabbed another, grinning.

"Heh, 'course I make good sandwiches," she said, obviously pleased with herself.

The doorbell rang.

"Get the door, baka."

"Why? I'm eating!" said Shinji through a full mouth.

"...And I made you lunch. Now go get the door baka," bossing Shinji around in a calm, casual voice was Asuka's favorite new Shinji-abuse technique.

Shinji sighed. He had long since gotten used to Asuka's particular... way of showing she cared. He wiped his face and went to the door.

He opened it to the sight of two men dressed in black with sunglasses on: section-two agents.

"Mr. Ikari? Is Miss Soryu there? You both need to come with us."

"What? W-Why?

"I'm not at liberty to answer that Mr. Ikari. You don't need to panic; we just need you both to come with us back to headquarters."

"Whoa, no. Nononononono. Misato said that we were done with NERV and all of you people. You're not part of our lives anymore. If you need us that bad, first go get Colonel Katsuragi. If not, then good-bye." He shut the door and went back to lunch, perturbed. The agent continued to bang on the door.

"Who was it?" asked Auska

"Nobody that matters anymore," came Shinji's curt reply.

XXX

"You're joking right? Katsuragi, _I_ was joking! You don't have to take me to your apartment!"

"No, you were right. You see, that collateral is... the last of the evangelion pilots."

"Pfft, seriously?" asked the commander, smiling a little.

"Seriously." Answered Misato in a voice that would have made Rei Ayanami proud.

"What?! Whose bright idea was it to have not two, but _three_ high priorities living in the same building?!" asked the commander incredulously.

"No, see, back when that decision was made, we were still the UN's baby. We had the best security in the world." replied Misato.

"Okay. Then whose bright idea was it to keep it that way after we left?"

"The pilot's." Said Misato

He put his head in his hand, and stared out the window. "Can you go a little faster or something?"

Misato smiled.

A/N:

I meant to make the whole Rei/Lilith thing ambiguous in the first scene. I personally think that Rei the girl was as much of a bystander in the actual event itself as everyone else was. She started it, but Lilith completed it. Er... failed it. Whatever.

I'm looking for a pre-reader. Please? Also, this is very much subject to revision. I'll be happy to change stuff if it's for the better.


	2. Vanguard

Chapter 2

AN: Thank you to all two of my reviewers! You rock! Please read and review! Or tell me it's too long! Or that I should go hang myself! Anything! I'm begging you people!

Chapter 2  
Vanguard

**November, 5, 2017  
****Katsuragi residence  
****1330 hours**

Homes are supposed to give you a sense of security. The apartment of Colonel Katsuragi was the home of two of the remaining three former evangelion pilots, Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu, and indeed it did give them a sense of security. In life, however, a "sense" of something and the real thing are two completely different factors in an event. The confusion of these two factors can and will inevitably lead to bad results. Furthermore, when a factor like security is the matter at hand, the results can be catastrophic.

And the two inhabitants of the apartment were certainly about to experience a catastrophe.

Suddenly, the banging on the door stopped. Although Shinji had put up a façade of apathy to the noises coming from immediately outside the door, even he stopped eating and listened intently when the banging halted. Asuka on the other hand had made no attempt to hide her interest. The muffled sound of men deliberating was now wafting from the door instead.

"Okay baka, seriously. Who the hell were those guys?"

"A-Agents from section two."

"What did they want?" said Asuka, beginning to simmer.

"I don't know! Look, j-just let Misato handle it, okay?"

Asuka shook her head, and returned to her seat. He always got like this.

Shinji was anal about many things. From Asuka not making her bed, to dust on the television set, there were things in life that just made Shinji Ikari tick. That had been a large contributor to the death of the two kid's romantic relationship. The one thing that made Shinji tick the most, however, was his father. Things that had to do with his father also fit the bill.

Shinji Ikari had gone to counseling, and he had come to terms with his role in third impact. What he hadn't accepted, however, was the way he and his friends had been used by NERV and the rest of the world for their own goals. In fact, the only reason Shinji tolerated the fact that Misato still worked for the organization was because she was... well, Misato. The bridge-bunnies were accepted, since they came over every now and then. And even still, Shinji tended to drop things and stutter a lot whenever they were around. It was a recognized issue around their little circle, but it was put up with and not talked about.

The sounds from the door disappeared, and Shinji exhaled loudly. He looked at his hands. They stood dead still, which was a feat he could never consciously achieve. The boy could feel the pulse in his neck throbbing. It was so odd. In this situation, his mind desired the flight response, yet his body had clearly chosen the opposite.

Asuka said nothing, only supporting Shinji with a look of sadness on her face. Reactions like this were not common, yet she had seen them before. In fact, it was nothing compared to what she used to do.

"Hey... Baka. But a good little boy and put the dishes away, okay?" She said, her hand on Shinji's.

Shinji knew exactly what Asuka was trying to do. He had used the same technique on his friends many times.

He gave a little breath. "Physician, heal thyself," he muttered, shaking his head with his eyes closed.

"What was that?" She asked, as she watched him gather up the plates and glasses, and take them to the sink to wash. Shinji didn't use the washing machine. It was an inferior match to his skills.

"Nothing Asuka..."

**November, 5, 2017  
****Tokyo-3, UN Territory (movement too fast to give an accurate location)  
****1330 hours**

Starsky and Hutch would have been proud.

Misato had taken up Ushio's request to "go faster" with relish. Misato Katsuragi loved the very thought of a car's utter destruction of the speed limit, but to do it "legally"? Sometimes she thought to herself that she should have become a police officer, just for moments like this. Cars scattered like mice from a cat as Misato came roaring down streets in the stolen black car. All the while, Ushio sat in the passenger seat of the car, looking grouchy. Or deep in thought. It was most likely a combination of both.

Misato, excitement at a private dream fulfilled and all, was actually not enjoying the joyride. There was only one thing on her mind. The kids. She drifted like a professional around another corner, sending birds and school children diving for cover. Still, Misato had been in enough combat situations even before NERV to know that a negative attitude was never conductive to victory. And the man taking up the seat beside her seemed to be a nexus of that very thing. Getting shot at together had broken the ice by all means, but the atmosphere still seemed cold. She had to at least _try_ to warm things up a bit.

"Ushio... what, uh, what was your first name?" Misato cringed at how awkward that sounded. Ushio on the other hand, showed no signs of discomfort. In fact, he showed nothing on his face that even gave the indication that he had even heard her. He seemed to be completely lost in his own thoughts and the tending of his wounds.

...

...

...

_...Oh crap._

He had forgotten his first 'name'.

Ushio stared out the window, looking for something to assist him. It was too bad he could hardly read anything that passed him by, as they were easily pushing 90 miles per hour. Caught with his pants down was an understatement. Well, so much for the mysterious cool secret agent factor.

"Ushio?" chimed Misato.

"I forgot."

"What?"

"I forgot it."

"Forgot what?"

"I forgot my first name."

...

"We're probably going to be together for a long time... or, a very short time. In either case, I think it'd be helpful to both of us if we knew each other's full names." Smiling just a small bit at the ridiculousness of what had just reached her ears.

"That's not possible, Colonel."

"Oh come on! Fuyutsuki knows that you're here already... I think you can cut the whole super-bad-secret-agent act." said Misato, a little irritated.

"No, Katsuragi... I...I-I actually forgot what my first name was supposed to be."

"And I guess your real name is out of the question?" said Misato, rolling her eyes.

"That man's been dead for a long time, Katsuragi."

Misato snorted. _Can you say "__**Cheesy**__"?_

"I'm serious, woman! I'm not trying to be cheesy! I'm really not allowed to use that name!"

Misato snapped her head sideways at him. What, now he reads minds too? His face didn't match his exasperated voice. It was still a brick wall of grouchy. It was actually kind of funny.

"I mean, I guess I could tell you that it used to be Samuel... but for some reason, Samuel Ushio doesn't have a nice ring to it."

"Well, what are you called when you're... you know, _not_ on the job."

Then the UN agent known as 'Ushio' had a small epiphany. It suddenly dawned on the man, that he was _never_ "not on the job". Especially in the last two years, he had simply been rotated from assignment to assignment. He didn't even own... anything. No apartment, no car, nothing at all. He didn't even really have a place that he could call his "headquarters." He didn't even have a name. "Samuel" no longer held any meaning for him. He didn't even like it all that much.

"Samueru..." said Misato, putting an Engrish twist on it.

"See? Nobody can even pronounce it."

"Ah, sorry." She replied

"No, no; it's not your fault. I had to take the entire computer language course almost six times before I could speak without being laughed at... And I still have an accent." he replied, trying to be just a little more friendly.

Six times? Not really. Ushio was just trying to build rapport. In reality, he had taken it twice. Once, just for kicks in the days of his youth; the other, the day he was assigned this mission. And even then, he took it just to be extra prepared. ...But, he kept that kind of stuff to himself.

Misato laughed politely. She had always secretly envied people like Asuka and this guy, who had the ability to speak multiple languages.

The car went airborne as she drove over a small hill in the road. It landed with a jaunty bump, not losing the slightest bit of speed. A lesser man would have created a puddle on the floor of the car, but Ushio had been in worse situations before. He was completely unperturbed, sinking back into his hole of thought.

Why was it so hard _not_ to be awkward? They _were_ adults after all, weren't they?

"So...a first name." Began Misato

"Correct. Go ahead and pick a new one out for me."

Misato arched an eyebrow. "What... seriously? You can't think of one yourself?"

Ushio nodded as solemnly as though the conversation were about brain cancer, rather than choosing a first name. "You're the native."

"Okay, fine." said Misato, looking upwards as people in thought will often inexplicably do. "What about... say, Sasuke?"

"Nah, that sounds too... _brooding_."

"Yoshi?"

"Too... _green_"

"Goku?"

"Too buff."

"Too buff!? You're the size of a bear, what do you mean too buff!?"

"Next name, Katsuragi, if you will?"

XXX

The agent who was obviously in charge was squatting down while he stroked his chin in thought. Like his contemporaries, he was dressed in a signature black suit and tie. Years of training had instilled within them the discipline not to be effected by the sun's oppressive rays. He was one those first few agents that had been personally selected by the first commander: Gendo Ikari. As such, he was also one of the agents that had been specifically selected by the commander to watch over his one and only son.

The little twerp.

He had endured two years... two years of guarding that whiny, ungrateful little ass of his. All just to have the kid snap when the boss decided to go AWOL and turn everyone into goo. Furthermore, the best part was that when agent had woken up and crawled out of the sludge, he got to do it all over again. For the past year, he had been relegated to what was essentially babysitting duty.

Again.

And he hated every moment of it.

Again.

Even so, he didn't say a word. He just took his orders like the good little henchman that he knew and loathed that he was.

Again.

But today was different. Today was a good day. Actually, the agreeability of this particular day had come from a call he had received from the old man who was in charge now.

**10 minutes ago**

"Agent, you have new orders. We have lost contact with the meeting party. The last we heard, they were under fire from both the UN agent... and Misato Katsuragi. She has decided to become a collaborator with the UN and _is to be considered hostile_. Therefore, if you are to encounter her, you are to dispatch her. Additionally, they're probably heading toward the apartment this instant. You are to destroy anything NERV-related that she might give to the agent.

Furthermore, that is only your secondary objective. Your primary being to bring the children back to the Geofront... _By any means necessary_. They will likely be obstinate. So I'll tell you again. Regardless of the condition, save death, bring those children back to the Geofront. Understood?"

"Yes sir. Understood."

**Present**

Of course, he hadn't revealed his glee at this new development, and especially at the words, "_By any means necessary_". No, he was an agent; and by the unwritten section-two codes, any showing of any form of emotion that could detach from the stereotypical agent-image of sheer, indisputable badass was completely out of the question.

As for the woman, well, they had never really gotten along. He would have no qualms about killing her. As they say, "Shit happens".

The agent straightened up. Inside, he was shaking with anticipation; outside, he was cold as the newly reforming Antarctic. The two other agents from the second section didn't give him so much as a second glance as he pointed his gun at the control panel at the door, and pulled the trigger.

The door slid open, letting the thick, oppressive, muggy air of the day flood into the air-conditioned room. The teenage boy inside dropped the plates he was holding, a look of incredulity on his face. The pretty little red-head that was sitting at the table stood up out of her chair, and ran out into the corridor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she screamed, "This is a private household! You can't just barge in here like that!"

"On behalf of Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, we can. Furthermore, you are ordered to accompany us back to NERV headquarters."

"I thought he told you to talk to Colonel Katsuragi." said the girl, as she moved toward the door control. The veteran killer could see the fear clouded by anger in her eyes. The red-head came within striking distance. It was a total rookie mistake.

"The colonel's indisposed at the moment. Therefore, you're both wards of the state until we can verify her status." He was losing the battle of keeping a smile from beginning to creep onto his face.

"What do you mean, indisposed?"

This time, the agent smiled. "You and the Third Child need to come with us." He knew exactly where this was going.

"Where's Misato!?" said the boy, who was also beginning to move toward the door.

"I'm not allowed to give you that information," said the section-two agent. "Are you choosing not to comply with these orders?"

The girl looked back at the boy, who gave the slightest shake of his head.

The girl snorted. "Get off our property." She shoved the man backwards, which moved him all of two inches. She pushed the 'close' button on the door, but nothing happened. She tried again, in faster succession this time as people who are panicking often do.

The man smiled. "I guess so."

With a swift motion the agent clubbed the side of Asuka's head with the hand holding the gun. She dropped like lead to the floor, and didn't get up. A small trickle of blood followed gravity down to the floor. Shinji staggered back with a look of absolute horror on his face.

"Wha- What the fu- What the FUCK!?" he cried, wide-eyed and appalled.

Shinji seemed unsure of what to do. On one side, his mind was yelling with all it's might to flee; but on the other side, his body was struggling with all it's might to charge. The domineering heat radiating thick and heavy from the door wasn't helping his thought processes either. After an eternal two seconds, his body won the argument, and he rushed the agent with a yell.

The gunshot rang throughout the entire building.

XXX

"How about you make one up yourself." said Misato, through gritted teeth.

_Picky-ass foreigners... _

Ushio fell silent for a few minutes. He leaned his head against the side window of the car.

"_Ryoji_," said Ushio in a low monotone.

Misato accidently slammed on the breaks. She turned, and looked ferociously at him.

Ushio, however, had his attention completely focused outside of the window. If his black sunglasses were removed, one could see that he was beginning to get that nervous look in his eyes again.

Misato often thought about Ryoji Kaji. Sure, she didn't cry as much, but that was only because she became far more adept at controlling her emotions. And she still had her private breakdowns every now and then. Perhaps it was the truth in that old saying of never knowing the value of something until you've lost it. So she never forgot him; even when everyone else did.

She didn't even know what became of the body.

It wasn't a matter of respect for his memory either. Misato was just simply incapable of forgetting the man. She was incapable of forgetting the tickle of his stubble against her face, or the smell of the cheap cologne he wore, or how he'd sneak up behind and make her completely surrender herself to him. Somehow, he always had found a way back into her life. Even after he had lost his own.

"Ryoji... _Ryoji_..." said Ushio as he rolled the name across his tongue. "I like it." He said, nodding to himself as he turned to Misato. "Why are we sto-?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. Misato had a look of utter sadness on her face; she was even biting her lip. Her knuckles were white and she was digging her nails into the steering wheel. She was obviously trying her best not to meet her passenger's eyes, and was instead staring straight ahead. The wound known as the death of Ryoji Kaji was always fresh. Always.

"But... uh, you can just call me Ushio if you want..." said the large man, unsure of what had just done wrong. "Katsuragi?"

Misato took several deep breaths. In a flash, the expression was gone. "What are you planning on doing once we get there?" she asked, regaining control and moving forward again.

Ushio paused before answering. "Provided that we get there in time, we'll probably have to take down more of your men to secure the area. And this time, we'll try not to kill the last man. I'm thinking they might know more about this."

"I assumed that much. What I meant was what your plans are after that. Once we make contact with the ki- pilots, we'll all be wanted men. The old man will descend on us like a hawk."

"Right," said Ushio, checking his phone. "Well, it looks like my signal has been hacked and jammed. We'll just have to use one of the children's phones to contact reinforcements. Yours will probably be probably tapped, now that you're MIA."

"So there's no hope for diplomacy any more... is there?"

"I'll do everything in my power to keep this as a covert operation, but I cannot promise you anything. The fact of the matter is that Kozo Fuyutsuki is a threat to the UN's mission here, and a combative. He's left us with no choice but a political restructuring." Ushio sighed heavily. He knew that the woman beside him had turned her back on her former allies to save lives, not be a part of something that would take them.

"For all it's worth Miss Katsuragi, _I am sorry_." He said grimly.

**November, 5, 2017  
****SEELE Moon Base R7-T4, Daedalus crater  
****1342 hours**

"You need the future; it is what you live for."

So mankind was the chosen existence. _Where does that leave me? With nothing? _

**Then I will use these hands that hold nothing, and create my own future from it.**

XXX

"You survived." whispered the infamous, ghostly image of a girl with the blue hair and red eyes.

"Lilith."

The boy as he pushed at the cover of the metal, casket-like box. It floated blissfully into the thin air before settling down with a puff of dust. Instead of getting up, he just lay in the casket, gazing at the giant blue ball in the black, starry sky.

"I was under the impression that he would have accepted you. By the looks of things, I was mistaken."

"Yes." replied his female counterpart with quiet, ambiguous emotion. "...And _I_ was under the impression that he destroyed _you_."

"Is that a fact?" muttered the pale-skinned young-man airily. He held his hands up to the light that was being reflected on the surface from the Earth. They were still pale and long and delicate. Hands that once had the world by the throat.

"Obviously, that is not the case." said the girl, who had taken to hovering in circles around the now fully awake boy.

"I beg to differ, my lady." said Kawrou Nagisa as he rose, or rather levitated, out of the box and landed softly on the surface.

"How so?" said the girl, floating after him.

"With all due respect, it is most surprising to see the great angel of mankind having been reduced to a mere ghost of an amnesic girl... You don't even have a proper AT field." said Kawrou, avoiding the question.

Rei looked away.

"This is what they desired. Therefore, this is what I desired, for we are one. I am they." Kawrou noticed that his companion's lips had not moved once during the entire conversation.

"We were all sentient beings, Lilith. Surely, you must feel _some _regret at not reaching perfection."

The girl did not reply.

The phantom lowered herself to the ground. Kawrou opened his mouth, and tried to yell. As he predicted, no sound was heard. It was just one of those things that people try, even though they know the desired outcome is impossible. It was akin to the way boys will find a basketball hoop, and although they know they are too short to reach it, they will try to jump for it anyhow.

Kawrou looked around. The entire area had a sense of familiarity to him, yet he could not truly remember the layout. He looked around. The entire terrain was a vast expanse of desolate craters, save one feature. Approximately one mile from the row of coffins stood a large, domelike building.

"SEELE" whispered the boy, for reasons unknown to him.

"I am the second body, correct?" asked Kawrou.

He moved, literally, in leaps and bounds toward the sliding, clear-as-glass plastic doors to the giant dome. He didn't know _why _he was going in that direction, only that it felt familiar.

"It seems that way. You may be a new body, but you are still the existence known as Tabris."

Like a little kid, Kawrou tried to do some front flips in the low as he moved forward. "Like I said before, I'd beg to differ."

"Yet you still feel the same. You remember everything, correct?" Unlike Kawrou, Lilith was simply floating forward.

"Yes... But I... I don't _feel_ everything. I comprehend all of the memories, but I can't indentify with them... They're alien to me. Tabris is gone. I think I'm just Kawrou now... Or maybe it's the other way around?"

"You and Tabris are the same person."

"One would think that, wouldn't they?"

"...She- I felt the same way when I was born for the third time. I understand the... feeling you speak of. It's strange though... she longed to realize herself as one person rather than three different separate entities, and you on the other hand desire to separate yourself."

"Ah, but she only desired to be one because of her feelings for the boy, Ikari Shinji-kun. She did not desire the wholeness, so much as the sentiments that would come with it."

"Did _you_ not have feelings for the boy?"

"I remember everything of that matter in vivid detail. There is no point in longing to reclaim what I already possess."

Kawrou had changed from low-gravity acrobatics to some sort of leap-and-backstroke movement. "So what of the First Child, has she returned as well?"

"Rei Ayanami... Lilith...We are one and the same, and I cannot return from the sea, for _I am_ the sea."

"She has a soul, Lilith. It is possible."

"No, Tabris. _We_ have a soul."

Kawrou closed his eyes and tipped his head in consent.

"A sad story, that particular Lilim girl... She was the only one without sin. It was a pity she could not rise above her emotions in the end. My apologies, but that is the one fatal flaw of all the Lilim. _And_, the boy might have accepted you, had she let him be... " said Kawrou wistfully.

"And leave him to you?"

"...yes," said Kawrou, smiling.

"You are right... Tabris is dead. You're far more human."

**November, 5, 2017  
****Katsuragi residence  
****1340 hours**

On the other side of the building, the stolen sedan skidded to a halt. The two passengers of the car strode out, both with matching looks of determination and purpose radiating from there bodies and plastered on their faces. The effects of the sun's eternal war to eradicate the inhabitants of the Tokyo-3 with heatstroke didn't faze the two adults the slightest.

"They're already here." said Misato, alarmed, as she looked at the two black sedans that were parked in front of the apartment's entrance.

"No matter, Katsuragi, _so are we_." Ushio tightened the knife-bayonet on the tip of his assault rifle; the now-wrapped up wound on his shoulder was all but forgotten. He looked up toward the apartment, the sun gleaming off his sunglasses.

There were obviously two ways up; the stairs and the elevator. Knowing the level of Katsuragi's concern, it was more than likely that she would attempt to call the elevator, get impatient, and dash up the stairs. Ushio tilted his head and looked at her feet. She wasn't wearing heels. The likelihood of that scenario had just doubled.

As he followed Misato to the entrance, Ushio took special care to puncture the tires of both of the agent's vehicles with the knife tip. For extra effect, he opened the driver door of one of the unlocked cars, and delivered a kick to the steering wheel, breaking it.

"What floor are you on, Katsuragi?"

"The eleventh," said Misato as she glanced up toward her room. From where she stood, she could see that two men, sharply dressed in all black with sunglasses were walking briskly toward the stairs. Between the two of them, they were carrying a boy by the arms and legs.

"Shinji-kun..." she breathed. Misato pulled out her gun, checked the ammo without even looking, and into the lobby. Ushio followed calmly behind, walking.

Misato rounded the corner, and began pounding on the 'up button' for the elevator.

"Damn it!" After several tries, she kicked the elevator doors and dashed up the stairs. Ushio walked in after her. As she flew up the flights, the man below leaned against the wall, and waited patiently for the elevator to arrive. By the time Misato had made it up to the fifth floor, the elevator doors opened with a ding. Ushio walked serenely in.

Most apartment buildings have multiple sets of stairs, but that didn't affect the man's plans. Since the woman was not wearing heels, her speed had increased. The agents would be forced with conflict. Moreover, the section-two men had no way to escape. Even if Katsuragi were to fall, the agents would have to flee on foot. The man knew he would have no trouble outrunning and catching up to them. Not that he actually had to. There was technically no point in worrying about the pilots or the defector's safety. The primary focus was to find a safe spot to call in for backup.

If the agents were to assume that by taking care of the children and the woman they would cover all their bases; then all the more for the UN agent. In fact, Ushio almost considered hiding, and letting the event's play out while he stood in the shadows.

But then again; they _were_ on his side, the pilots were just kids, and most importantly, it'd be beneficial to have someone with intimate knowledge off the Geofront, and its inhabitants as an ally. Finally, when the current administration of the Geofront was destabilized, having a collaborator with a familiar, respected, and friendly face act as a liaison between the "occupying force" and the "people" would be such an incredibly immensely valuable resource, that it would be a foolish mistake to waste it.

And Ushio also kinda liked the lady.

Misato blasted from around another corner, and skidded to a halt, her gun out and pointing at the two agents she had intercepted. Both parties were on the extreme opposite sides of the hallway. Her eyes widened as they took in the information around her, particularly the condition of her charge.

Shinji wasn't out cold, but he wasn't exactly 'with it' either. His head lolled around, and his eyes were unfocused. His shirt was soaked in the dark crimson color of blood.

The tone of Misato's voice dropped to a dead chill.

"What... what the hell do you think you're doing?"

One of the agents answered... with his gun. Dropping the already injured Shinji, both agents whipped out their pistols and fired at Misato. The former colonel threw herself back behind the corner of the hallway, narrowly dodging the bullets. Shinji cried out in pain as he thumped against the ground

"What the hell is everyone thinking?" muttered Misato.

For a second, Misato thought about stepping out into the hallway with her ID badge, yelling and trying to pull rank on the two agents. It wasn't the sheer ineffectiveness of tactic that stopped her from doing that though; it was the fact that _they shot her boy_.

The former strategic director of NERV had enough experience to deduce that the two section-two agents, regardless of former training, were most likely in a _slight _state of panic from shooting at their former superior officer. Sometimes, panic can be a good thing; the dumps of epinephrine (adrenaline) will more than make up for lowered reaction time, and decrease in rational thought. But that's only if pushed far enough.

When only slightly panicked, a victim often makes foolish mistakes, such as closing in on a corner completely unprotected while an enemy has ducked behind it, and waiting for that enemy to come back out.

Good fortune would have it that this was exactly what the two agents did, and exactly what Misato had predicted. So, instead of looking around the corner, Misato simply snaked her gun around and fired off a few shots. The cries of pain from two men confirmed Misato's hypothesis. She turned around the corner again, and saw the two men sprawled on the ground. One of them was still alive, and slowly reaching toward his dropped gun. As Misato ran toward Shinji, she paused and finished her handiwork with a viciously quick pull on the trigger.

"Shinji-kun... Shinji, what happened!? Tell me what happened!" said Misato as she knelt down beside Shinji, taking his head into her lap.

Shinji lifted his head weakly toward Misato. Her face was sliding in and out of focus.

"Misato? T-They wouldn't tell us what h-happened to you..." Shinji slurred.

"It's alright Shinji. I'm here now." said Misato, as she began to tear up. So this was how NERV repaid those who had sacrificed everything; the great legacy of Gendo Ikari.

"Misato..." mumbled Shinji, slowly becoming more alert. "Misato, they hurt Asuka. Misato, I think one of them is still up there with her!"

"Shhh. Shinji... Shinji, calm down. I told you I'm here now." said Misato as she held him. "Let me see where they hit you." said Misato as she tore Shinji's shirt down the middle. She gave a sigh of relief. The boy had been shot in the upper right of the chest. There was a lot of blood lost, but it was already beginning to clot. In short, he would make it.

Probably.

Suddenly, the boy's hand shot up and grabbed Misato by the collar. "Misato, I'm fine! Go help Asuka!" cried Shinji wide-eyed and with a sudden burst of energy.

Misato stood shakily up, nodding her head before she dashed off. Shinji dragged himself toward a railing and leaned against it. He lay there panting, letting the domineering heat of the afternoon and the pains in his chest consume him.

XXX

Ushio's head slightly rocked, in time with the music. He loved elevator music. They reminded him of cliché action movies, which pumped him up because of that sole trait. The elevator reached its destination. As the doors slid apart, his head slowly rose up from its bobbing position as well. He started forward. Each step was measured, the sound of boots against hot concrete echoing throughout the hallway. Ushio didn't know which room Katsuragi lived in, but the telltale drops of blood were all the direction he needed.

Inside the room, the lead agent had been busy tearing apart the apartment, looking for anything NERV related. He gave the ransacked apartment a second look over. Satisfied with his work for the first time since he was hired, he hoisted the Second Child over his shoulder, and left the apartment; only to come face to face with the chest of a large, middle-eastern looking man.

It was... surreal, to say the least. There, in the hot afternoon sun, in a middle-class apartment hallway stood two men. One dressed in a black suit; the other in military gear. One was carrying a pretty red-head girl over his shoulder; the other was carrying a heavy assault rifle. Both were completely expressionless and staring at each other.

It was a moment of warrior's peace. It was the moment, when two enemies realize that mortal conflict is inevitable, and relish in the fact and all that goes with it; the actual physical sensation of the sudden flow of energy in your veins, the feeling of hyperawareness, the _Mushin_. The point where the mind ceases to act. That thing that can only be described as the '_now_'. To achieve the moment is nothing remarkable; all humans experience it at some point in their lives. However, to experience it and then to _savor it in the moment itself_, is something extraordinary.

Both were wearing sunglasses.

Misato once again skidded around a corner. She saw to two men standing in front of each other. Actually, she saw _one_ man. To be even more exact, she saw the _back_ of one man, Ushio, and the limp body of Asuka on a hidden shoulder. So, she could tell that there were not one, but two men, despite the fact that the man closest to her completely blocked her view of the other.

And the moment was gone. The agent's hand snapped back to his cloister for his gun. Ushio's right hand followed it, then diverted to Asuka's leg, grabbing hold, and pulling down. His left hand brought the assault rifle up, knife-tip following the agent's hand. The agent let go of Asuka with his left hand, feeling the girl's body begin to slide off his shoulder. He brought the hand in front of the knife-tip. Ushio drove the bayonet home, spearing both the agent's left and right hands, the gun he was reaching for, and breaking though his sternum, driving straight into the heart. He then reversed his grip on the rifle.

Asuka hit the floor.

Ushio pivoted on his heels into the wall, and fully impaled the agent. He drove the blade, now bloodily exposed though the agent's back, into the plaster-covered wall beside Misato's door. A small horizontal arc consisting of flecks of blood remained suspended in the air for a minute second, before gracefully falling to the ground.

Misato blinked.

Ushio considered the man, who was now spiked to the wall. The expressionless air on his face had not changed. He gently slid the rifle out of his body, and the agent fell to his knees, arms splayed out as if he had reached some great epiphany. Perhaps he had. The world would never know.

The agent completed his descent to the ground, and died. He turned to Asuka. She was still breathing. Satisfied, he knelt down and took the girl into his arms.

"Where is the Third Child?"

Misato put her gun away. "Shinji's downstairs. He's been s-shot. We need to get him to a hospital."

"Well then why the hell are you up here!?"

"H-He told me to help Asuka."

Ushio rolled his eyes, which was a gesture that Misato was luckily not able to see due to his dark sunglasses. He nodded to the young lady in his arms. He sighed. "Let me set this one inside. I'll be down to help you in a minute."

As Misato turned away, Ushio called out again.

"Oi! Please tell me that one of the men that were carrying the Third is still alive."

Misato shook her head.

"Dammit. ...Again."

**November, 5, 2017  
****SEELE Moon Base R7-T4, Daedalus crater  
****1405 hours**

Kawrou, who was still backstroking, bumped his head into the sliding doors. He landed on the ground with a soft thud. A small cloud of dust flowered up around him. Rubbing his head, he looked up at Lilith.

"So why have you come to see me?" Kawrou let the doors slide open, and walked into the base. As he went further in, he saw the occasional uniform in little puddles of LCL. As he walked through the abandoned halls, he began to notice a strange, dull, soft sensation of numbness spreading inward from his toes and fingertips. He was getting cold.

"To an extent, I exist wherever man has once treaded. On the contrary, Tabris, I could say that you came to see me."

"I thought you said Tabris was dead." said Kawrou, starting to shiver.

"Nevertheless it _is_ still your name. To call you anything else would be an insult to Adam's good taste and judgment."

"Humph." he snorted, smiling quietly. He knelt down and dipped his hand in one of the puddles of LCL. Bringing it up to his face, he inhaled a whiff of its heady, blood-scent. Frowning, he looked at her. "It's your blood. I don't understand. Did SEELE succeed?"

"They did. But the boy, Ikari-kun, rejected instrumentality at the last moment."

"At the _last_ moment? So Shinji-kun actually achieved godhood? And then he rejected it!? Did he know that was his _one_ chance at happiness?" he asked as he picked up the damp clothes. For some reason, the clothes were still warm, just like the pool of LCL.

"Yes." said Rei, smiling softly.

"I should have guessed so..." said Kawrou nodding to himself. "That's exactly what Shinji-kun would do."

"Furthermore, he chose to bring back all of mankind, even when he was still afraid of the pain they would give him." she added, obviously proud.

"The floodgates of heaven have opened. _Prosperity rains down upon you and your children_." said the boy, smiling. Darkly. He slipped the suit on. It was an ill fit, and the sleeves drowned his arms. He looked much akin to a child wearing oversized pajamas.

"To see Lilith, the equal of our father Adam, in all her magnificence... It must have been a glorious event to witness." he continued.

This time the girl let a true smile escape. "It most certainly was."

"I envy you."

Kawrou walked into the abandoned command center. He took a seat in what was probably the chair of the Chief of Operations, and stared out the giant glass window at the starry skies above.

Lilith continued to float beside him. "Envy? '_Only one life form can be chosen to escape annihilation and inherit the future. And you are not the existence that should die._' Were those not your words?"

Tabris laughed, loudly. "Therein lays the quandary. I don't think I agree with what my predecessor said. Admit it. You think I'm not supposed to be here, correct? I'm supposed to be, ahem, '_annihilated'_, correct?"

"So the prophesies say." said Lilith, emotionlessly.

"And yet I live! And yet I am still here! Tabris was evidently wrong! But the fact still stands, that your people won. _They alone have the right to salvation from destruction_. Therefore, what am I expected to do!? Kill myself!?" All of the former reverence he had held during the entire conversation was gone. He rose out of the seat. "He could have stopped Shinji-kun at _any _moment, he could have become an immortal, but he didn't... _Why_? It doesn't make sense!"

"_Death_ was his immortality. He found eternal happiness in his _death_, in his manifestation of free will."

"_So says the victor_."

"I would have expected you be more understanding."

"The Inheritance of One has been something we've all known for an eternity, but that, _notion..._ goes against every instinct in my body! Why would he reject dominance for the fate of your people? To be honest, if only one existence were to survive, I would much rather destroy you and all of your children then give up my own!" He paused, considering the girl. "In fact, I would hazard a guess... and say that you're actually scared. Aren't you? That's why you came to see me! That's why you're talking to me right now!" said Kawrou, almost sneering.

Kawrou's sudden burst of hostile emotion seemed to have a reciprocal effect on Lilith, who became even colder.

"Calm yourself, Tabris. I came to see you out of mere... curiosity. From this point onward, my perception of the future is equal to that of my children. I simply came to see the events unfold."

Kawrou sighed audibly. He slumped back into his seat. "_Of course you did_." He propped his head in one hand, and rested it on the armrest of the seat. "I apologize, Lilith. I'm just..."

"Lost?"

Kawrou nodded. "Tabris the angel wishes for death. Kawrou the boy wishes for death. But they are dead, and _I am me. _I want life. I want happiness. I want the future." He locked eyes with the apparition. "No matter what."

"Tabris found self-actualization in his choice, Kawrou Nagisa. But if you are truly something or someone different, then you must find your own path to what he achieved. But mark my words. We are two different races. I may be more familiar with you than even my own children, but I will not hesitate to defend them from you by any means possible. You will simply have to find a way to coexist... or submit." The girl looked up at the corner of the control room. Kawrou followed her gaze.

There were blinking red lights from all the cameras. His shoulders slumped.

"That foolish group of Lilim is behind this whole thing, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"So what do I do now?"

"You find a way to your own happiness, your own future; preferably a way that doesn't cross paths with ours."

"So you think Tabris was mistaken? Can our existences actually find a way to _both_ find happiness in harmony?" asked the boy more to himself than anyone else. "Was I- no, _he_ wrong?

Again, the cold, cruel smile. She looked back at the boy, who was now deep in thought, and faded away.

"For your sake, I hope so."

A/N:

Ugh. I actually didn't like this chapter. It was difficult. And it's only the second one!  
That's not good.


End file.
